Groundbreaking evaluation of OCHRE

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Leslie Williams today announced that the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of NSW has been engaged to undertake
a 10 year ongoing evaluation of OCHRE.

This long-term approach to evaluation is ground-breaking and a first for NSW. It will deliver the evidence that will help to inform the Government about
the future direction and expansion of OCHRE, Mrs Williams said.

OCHRE is the NSW Government's plan, developed in consultation with the community to achieve improvements and long-term outcomes for Aboriginal
people.

OCHRE focuses on education, language and culture, employment and accountability, because these are the key levers to drive economic and social
empowerment.

The evaluation will be conducted in stages, with the first stage investigating how each initiative has been implemented and any short-term outcomes achieved.
The findings from OCHRE's ongoing evaluation will be made publicly available.

OCHRE was developed in partnership with and by listening to Aboriginal communities and builds on opportunities and the inherent strengths of Aboriginal
people, Mrs Williams said.

We recognise that sustainable change occurs over a generation and so the real impact of initiatives can only be determined over the long term. This demonstrates
the NSW Government's commitment to the Aboriginal community.